Shards
by always krissy
Summary: Trent and Kira have a discussion. Set after "Fighting Spirit." Contains slash!


TITLE: Shards  
AUTHOR: Krissy  
DISCLAIMER: Power Rangers Dino Thunder doesn't belong to me. Like I'd be that lucky.  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hi, here be fanfic! Takes place after "Fighting Spirit."  
PAIRING: Trent/Kira, Trent/Tommy, Conner/Kira  
RATING: PG  
  
"What's up, Trent?"  
  
If there was only one thing that Trent had learned as a Ranger, it was to never cross Kira. It had been a very valuable lesson, one that had been handed down by Conner. It was sage advice. Advice Trent wished he'd listened to, judging by Kira's current expression. It didn't look like she was angry at him, but judging by the curl of her lips, it wasn't far off.  
  
Shrugging, Trent dropped his dirty rag on top of the table he was cleaning. The Cyberspace was closed, but Hayley conveniently let the Rangers come in whenever they pleased. Sometimes it was a blessing, but at the moment, it was a nightmare.  
  
"Nothing," Trent snapped. Kira always seemed to catch him when he least wanted to talk to someone. And after the day's events, today was one of those days.  
  
"That's bull and you know it," Kira argued, ignoring his tone of voice. She quietly shut the door behind her and entered the main room. She hadn't taken her eyes off him, which was something he was painfully aware of.  
  
"Yeah, maybe," Trent agreed with a mutter.  
  
"Conner was wondering something," she started. "Well," she corrected herself, "I was wondering about it, too. I thought you liked Doctor O."  
  
Trent blinked at her. "I . . . what? I do. Of course I do! You know how much I respect him -- before and after I knew he was a Ranger."  
  
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Kira assured him with a small flash of smile, "but..."  
  
"But what?" Trent prompted. Part of him knew where this conversation was going. There could be a million replies spouted in return after she asked him. "You want to know why I didn't come see Doctor O., don't you?"  
  
"Well, the thought did cross my mind," Kira admitted.  
  
Trent hated awkward moments and this was as awkward as you could get.  
  
"Look, Kira, it really isn't your business, and--"  
  
"Not my business?" Kira interrupted. Her eyes flashed angrily as she stared at him and Trent remembered why he liked her in the first place. Such passion, no matter what the topic was, whether it was in anger or dedication. "You made it my business the day you told me you liked me."  
  
"Maybe I shouldn't have then," Trent muttered underneath his breath, glancing away from her in annoyance. Kira's startled intake of breath made him look up sharply. Kira stared with wide eyes, mouth opening and closing. Immediately, Trent felt guilty. "Look, I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that."  
  
"You never mean anything you say," Kira returned. She sighed deeply then, and jerkily grabbed a chair and heavily sat down in it. She nervously played with the hem of her jean skirt as spoke, "Look, Trent, I think we need to talk."  
  
Trent sat in the chair next to her. "Yeah, maybe we should."  
  
"Things between us haven't been going well, have they?"  
  
Trent shook his head, "I guess they haven't been for a while, have they?"  
  
"Nope," Kira agreed. She stared at her clasped hands before speaking. "I want to start over with you. I really like you. I can see an 'us' in the future. Maybe not necessarily a romance, but something, and I don't want to lose that. And with the way we're going lately..."  
  
"We might just as well be strangers," Trent agreed. "I really like you, too, Kira and I don't want to lose you."  
  
Kira smiled gratefully at him. "Good. I'm glad. Now . . . Tell me something?"  
  
"Sure, anything."  
  
"Are you . . . gay?"  
  
"I . . . what?!"  
  
"I've just wondered, that's all. Sometimes, when we were studying together, you'd just start talking so much about Doctor O. Especially after you finally joined the team. Conner says you talk about him a lot, too. But then, when he was in the hospital, you never showed up and . . ."  
  
Trent didn't know how to respond to her.  
  
"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," she said hurriedly, "I was just curious. And we never kissed, and you had so many opportunities, and then Conner mentioned that maybe you liked Doctor O., and--"  
  
"Do you discuss everything with Conner?" Trent sneered. He could be okay with Kira wondering that about him, but did the whole team know? Did Doctor Oliver know, too? And if they all knew, his father was bound to find out.  
  
"I was just concerned," Kira retorted. She had never felt as lost as she did now. It was like playing hot-cold with Trent. Anything could make him snap. "And Conner's always been there for me, and so we started talking, and--"  
  
"Well, duh," he interrupted, "any idiot could see why."  
  
"'Why' what?" Kira asked, pausing in confusion.  
  
"He's been in love with you for months."  
  
". . . Oh."  
  
They fell into a silence. All Trent could think about was her words. 'Are you gay?' Was he? He'd never really thought about it. But sometimes he felt closer to his teacher than to any of the others. Maybe it was because Doctor Oliver had been evil once, too. He'd lied and nearly killed his friends and hurt the girl he liked. And yet, he still had to go on. If he didn't, the darkness would eat him alive. Maybe it already had.  
  
"Well, I gotta go," Kira stood abruptly. "I have a test to study for, and you need to close this place up. My mom's probably worried, and--"  
  
"Kira, wait." Trent stood and gently touched her arm. "I'm sorry. You just caught me off guard, and--"  
  
"Don't worry about it," Kira shook his hand off, but offered him a tentative smile. "We'll talk later. When we aren't as wired up as we are right now. Bye."  
  
"'Kay, bye then." He watched her leave, and couldn't help but wonder. Maybe Doctor Oliver understood him, and maybe he would never fit into the team, but he knew he'd always have Kira. 


End file.
